Harris Endorses Biden; Jesse Jackson Backs Sanders

Harris Endorses Biden; Jesse Jackson Backs Sanders
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) (L) loo during the Democratic presidential primary debate at the Charleston Gaillard Center in Charleston, S.C., on Feb. 25, 2020. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON—Kamala Harris endorsed Joe Biden on Sunday and said she would “do everything in my power” to help elect him, becoming the latest dropout from the Democratic race for president to line up behind the former vice president in his battle with Bernie Sanders for the nomination.

The decision by the California senator who was one of three black candidates seeking to challenge President Donald Trump further solidifies the Democratic establishment’s move to close circles around Biden after his Super Tuesday success. Her endorsements comes before the next round of primaries, with six states voting Tuesday, including Michigan and Mississippi.

Kamala Harris
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Jan. 31, 2020. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)

Sanders, a Vermont senator, countered with his own major endorsement on Sunday, announcing that civil rights icon Jesse Jackson was formally backing him.

Jackson appeared with Sanders during a campaign stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In a statement released by Sanders’ campaign, Jackson said Biden had not reached out to him for endorsement and Sanders had. He also said he chose Sanders after the senator’s campaign offered responses on 13 issues Jackson raised, including protecting voting rights, increasing funding for historically black colleges and universities and committing to putting African Americans on the Supreme Court.

“With the exception of Native Americans, African Americans are the people who are most behind, socially and economically, in the United States, and our needs are not moderate. A people far behind cannot catch up choosing the most moderate path,” Jackson said in a statement to news outlets, announcing the endorsement.

Sen. Bernie Sanders and Jesse Jackson
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) and Rev. Jesse Jackson greet the crowd during a campaign rally in Calder Plaza in Grand Rapids, Mich., on March 8, 2020. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

In a statement on Biden, meanwhile, Harris said, “There is no one better prepared than Joe to steer our nation through these turbulent times, and restore truth, honor, and decency to the Oval Office.”

Harris said the United States “is at an inflection point. And the decision voters make this November will shape the country and the world our children and grandchildren will grow up in. I believe in Joe Biden.”

Harris withdrew from the race in December.

Among Biden’s former rivals, Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, Beto O’Rourke, Mike Bloomberg, Tim Ryan, Deval Patrick and John Delaney have endorsed him. Sanders has gotten the endorsement of Marianne Williamson and Bill de Blasio.

Also coming out for Biden on Sunday were two prominent Mississippi Democrats, former Gov. Ray Mabus and Mike Espy, agriculture secretary under President Bill Clinton. Espy is also on the ballot Tuesday as he seeks the party’s Senate nomination for the chance to face the Republican incumbent, Cindy Hyde-Smith, in November.

Biden and Sanders, two men in their 70s, are now the front-runners for the nomination.

Epoch Times reporter Jack Phillips contributed to this report

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